Donbass self-proclaimed republics vote to elect leaders, MPs

The self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are electing their leaders and MPs. The Kiev government has started criminal proceedings against elections in the southeast despite them being sanctioned by the Minsk peace deal.

As soon as the polling stations opened at 8 am on Sunday morning,
high voter activity was noted in both the Donetsk and Lugansk
regions. After presenting valid, local registration, voters get
two ballots: one for the parliamentary election and one to vote
for the future leaders of the republics.

There are over 360 polling stations in Donetsk, where potentially
more than three million voters can cast their votes. Armed
militia members are guarding each polling station. In the Lugansk
People’s Republic, there are 102 polling stations for
approximately 1.5 million voters.

The area in Donetsk where the Central Election Committee is
situated is being heavily guarded, with all surrounding streets
cordoned off.

Lugansk has seen queues at some polling stations, as large number
of voters came to cast their votes early in the morning.

RT’s correspondent Paula Slier reported from the scene, saying
that she “found the same feelings from voters in all polling
stations visited. Today, the people stand united.”

"If Kiev can do it, so can we," one voter in Donetsk
told Slier.

“Our opinion was simply ignored [by Kiev authorities] when we
took part in the [independence] referendum [in May], now it’s
time to take the people’s will into account; that’s why I have
come today to cast my vote,” another voter in Donetsk told
the Itar-Tass news agency.

The interminable queues are the small price paid for their
first, truly democratic vote in a long time. pic.twitter.com/Wg2vmACQMJ

In Russia’s neighboring Belgorod, Rostov and Voronezh regions,
where thousands of refugees from Donetsk and Lugansk are
currently living, polling stations have also been set up.

Foreign observers note high turnout

At least 70 observers from a number of countries, including
France, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Israel, Great Britain
and others are monitoring the elections. However, observers from
the OSCE are not attending.

An MP from the upper Chamber of Italy’s Parliament, Lucio Malan,
acting as an observer at the elections in Donetsk praised the
high standards of the elections, RIA Novosti reported.

The elections in Lugansk People’s Republic were carried out in
accordance with international democratic norms, Manuel
Ochsenreiter, editor-in-chief of Zuerst!, the German weekly, told
TASS news agency.

He also observed a high turnout at the polling stations. "We
have just visited a polling station that was filled to capacity.
My first impression is that people are showing huge interest in
the elections," Ochsenreiter said.

Violations have not been reported at the polling stations,
Israeli observer Max Laurier, told TASS.

"Together with other international observers I've visited
several polling stations in Donetsk. I want to note people's big
interest in the elections: people have queued at polling
stations. In general, the work of district election commissions
is organized well," Laurier said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Security Service said on Sunday that it
plans to include foreign observers, who attended the Donbass
elections, in a list of "persona non grata” because it
considers their activity “criminal.”

In Donetsk, there are three candidates for leader, including
acting Prime Minister Aleksandr Zakharchenko. He was among the
very first to cast his vote, and he told journalists that after
the election Kiev would have to deal with the self-proclaimed
Donetsk People’s Republic as equal.

Instead, Kiev has announced it has begun a criminal prosecution
against election organizers in Donetsk and Lugansk, despite the
fact that peace agreements reached in Minsk in September between
the Ukrainian authorities and the self-proclaimed republics
specifically outlined the necessity of conducting early
elections.

Ukraine’s Security Service explained in a statement on its
Facebook page that Kiev considers the elections illegal, as they
violate Ukrainian legislation. Kiev insisted to honor the Minsk
arrangement, under which local elections should be held in
December, as stipulated in a decree signed by President
Poroshenko.

PM Aleksandr Zakharchenko has promised to launch criminal
proceedings against Kiev in a tit-for-tat measure.

“If the Security Service of Ukraine launches a criminal
investigation into elections in Donetsk People’s Republic, then
we will start criminal prosecution against Kiev on a charge of
genocide,” Zakharchenko told the Russian News Service.

“Since we’re not afraid of them shelling us, then their
prosecution is not a big deal either,” he said, stressing
that the people of the republic have made their choice and are
not going to change it.

The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier pointed out that the Minsk
peace agreements established in early September that elections in
both Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics should be
conducted between October 19 and November 3. Kiev authorities
conducted parliamentary elections a week ago, on October 26.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s order from October 16
setting the date of elections in the self-proclaimed republics
for December 7 “contradicts the Minsk agreements,” said
the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Early last week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in
an interview to Izvestia daily and Lifenews that Moscow will
recognize the results of the elections in Ukraine’s
self-proclaimed republics.

“The elections taking place on November 2 in Donetsk and
Lugansk are very important for the legitimization of their
authority,”Lavrov said, noting that such elections are
an important constituent of the Minsk peace agreements between
Kiev and the self-proclaimed republics.

“We expect elections to take place as previously
agreed,” Lavrov said, “and, naturally, we will recognize
the results. We look forward to the free expression of the will
of the people and that no external forces will try to disrupt
them,” Russia’s foreign minister added.